Hodgson to USA for screen industry, ICT promotion

Pete Hodgson departs New Zealand on Wednesday 19 March for the United States to promote investment in the ICT and screen production industries.

Mr Hodgson will meet screen production industry representatives in Los Angeles in the build-up to the 75th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday 23 March. He is also due to meet key ICT investors in Silicon Valley to foster high technology investment relationships.

New Zealand screen production industry representatives will be holding workshops and presentations for major Hollywood studios between March 17 and 21 to take advantage of the attention generated by the six Oscar nominations for the second part of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Two Towers. The workshops will showcase the skills and capabilities of the New Zealand screen production industry.

"I will join New Zealand representatives on Wednesday for a networking dinner with Hollywood film industry players and again on Friday for a meeting with the Motion Picture Association of America," Mr Hodgson said. "While in Los Angeles I will also visit screen production companies interested in New Zealand." On Friday 21 March there will be a New Zealand reception for 300 people from the Hollywood film industry at the Beverly Hills Four Seasons Hotel. A similar event last year, which Mr Hodgson attended, was very successful in raising New Zealand’s profile in Hollywood. Mr Hodgson will speak briefly at the event, which will feature New Zealand stars such as Lucy Lawless and Dave Dobbyn.

On Thursday 20 March Mr Hodgson will host a lunch in Silicon Valley for the venture capital community, to update them on the New Zealand Venture Investment Fund and investment opportunities in New Zealand. While in Los Angeles he will also visit Sun Microsystems and other ICT companies, meet members of Kiwi Expats Abroad (KEA), other expatriate New Zealand scientists and academics, the Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency and the state's Secretary of Resources. Mr Hodgson returns to New Zealand early on Monday 24 March.

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